Rolling in the Isles

With the world “opening up” again, my wife and I often talk about places we’d like to visit. Some of them are more accessible now that we live near the East Coast. One in particular is further away. But coincidence or not, the five locales tempting the travel bug in me have one thing in common.  Every one of them is an island.

#16 at The Masters in Augusta, GA

Let’s get my first choice out of the conversation straight away, because it kind of stretches the definition of “destination” and “island”.  I want to go see a round of The Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia.  If you’re not into golf you won’t understand the fuss, but trust me, when you’ve watched this competition on television every April since you were a kid, the place becomes a shrine of sorts.  The Masters never played into our decision to move to South Carolina, but the course is suddenly only forty-five minutes from my new front door.  So why is it an “island”?  Have you been to Augusta?  The Masters is like finding a bright green emerald in a bowl of gravel.  Let’s just say it would be complimentary to describe the rest of Augusta as “plain vanilla”.

There are no bad photos of Hawaii

Now for the real islands.  The first two fall on a lot of must-see lists: Hawaii and Ireland.  Hawaii is no less appealing even though South Carolina makes it three hours further than from where I used to live.  I’ve only seen “The Islands” on my honeymoon and on family trips (decades ago) so I know this time around would be decidedly more adventurous.  Not that I want to bungee-jump into a volcano or anything; rather just take a closer look at all Hawaii has to offer.

Ho-hum… just another town in Ireland

As for Ireland, it feels a lot closer when you live up against the East Coast.  If I had x-ray vision I might see the Blarney Stone from these parts.  My wife and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary with our first trip to the Emerald Isle, where we saw a lot of Dublin and only a wee bit of everything else.  We tossed a coin into the Trevi Fountain to be sure we’d go back, and… oh wait, right… that’s Rome.  Anyway, something we did in Ireland back then – whatever it was – instilled the yearning to go back someday.  And we will.

Mackinac Island’s Grand Hotel

Island #4 – Mackinac – sits neatly between the two peninsulas of the state of Michigan. The “Crown Jewel of the Great Lakes” has been on my must-see list ever since I watched Somewhere in Time in college in the 1980s.  Yeah the movie’s a little corny, but it’s utterly romantic and it stars Jane Seymour, so cut me some slack.  More importantly, Somewhere in Time shows off Mackinac’s Grand Hotel in all of its past/present glory.  No, I can’t afford the stay at the Grand (rooms start at $500/night) but I’ll settle for one of the B&B’s on the island and spend my money on other stuff instead.  Like a horse-drawn carriage tour with my wife (Mackinac has no cars).  Or a round of golf on the only course in the country where the trek between the front nine and the back is, again, by horse-drawn carriage.  Or a brick of Mackinac’s famous fudge.  Whatever the draw, I’ll endure two connecting flights, a couple hours of driving, and a quick ferry ride, just to experience Mackinac’s throwback delights.

I’ve saved the best for last (well, at least, I think it’s the best).  If I ever make it to France, I’m heading straight to Mont-Saint-Michel.  “St. Michael’s Mountain”, which I’ve blogged about here, first captured my imagination when professional sandcastle builders (yes, there are such people) built a replica on the beach where I grew up, and again when I studied architecture in college. 

Mont-Saint-Michel
The beach-sand version

The whole island setup is just so remarkable: nothing but a walled village of shops, restaurants, and other structures, connected by cobblestone streets ascending up, up, up to the Romanesque church and abbey at the pinnacle.  Only 29 residents at last count.  The surrounding tides ebb and flow, so at times Mont-Saint Michel is an island and at other times not so much.  And about that abbey on top.  The first cornerstone was laid in 1023, making Le Mont 1,000 years old this year.  All that time and I’ve never ever seen it?  Mon dieu.

One of Ireland’s many Aran Islands

If I make it to my five “islands”, I might have to add just one more.  Ireland is paying people almost $100k for the “gift” of an island off the western coast of the country.  There are twenty such islands.  The catch: you have to refurbish whatever structures you find and you have to live there.  Shelter yes, but food, water, power, and fellow humans are maybe’s.  Yeah, I won’t be rolling with any of those isles.  Let’s just start with that golf course down the street from me, shall we?

Some content sourced from the CNN Travel article, “Ireland will pay you $90,000 to move to a beautiful island home”

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Author: Dave

Five hundred posts would suggest I have something to say… This blog was born from a desire to elevate the English language, highlighting eloquent words from days gone by. The stories I share are snippets of life itself, and each comes with a bonus: a dusted-off word I hope you’ll go on to use more often. Read “Deutschland-ish Improvements” to learn about my backyard European wish list. Try “Slush Fun” for the throwback years of the 7-Eleven convenience store. Or drink in "Iced Coffee" to discover the plight of the rural French cafe. On the lighter side, read "Late Night Racquet Sports" for my adventures with our latest moth invasion. As Walt Whitman said, “That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.” Here then, my verse. Welcome to Life In A Word.

20 thoughts on “Rolling in the Isles”

  2. I’ve been to Hawaii. I’ve been to Ireland. I’ve been to Mackinac. I’ve not been to Augusta nor Mont-Saint-Michel. I’d like to go back to Ireland, but not if I have to become the caretaker for an isolated island. I’ll be fascinated to find out if anyone takes on the challenge of the island opportunity.

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    1. Only took one visit to realize, we could visit Ireland again and never get tired of those little towns in the countryside. The locals were wonderfully welcoming to us.

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  3. Your choices bring back some excellent memories. We saw Mont-Saint-Michel in late September of 2000 while we were doing our WWI battlefield tour. Looking back over the photos, I sure wish I’d had a better camera!

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    1. You were lucky to make it to Mont-Saint-Michel, Margy. It would be an overly long day trip from Paris, so your agenda makes more sense. Stay somewhere nearby, and while you’re at it see some Normandy history.

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      1. We were living in the UK at the time. Took Eurostar to Lille, rented a car and spent a whole week mostly visiting WWI Commonwealth Cemeteries, monuments and battle fields. Also saw the Bayeaux Tapestry which I would rank above Mont-Saint Michel if I was to return to that part of the world.

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    1. I’ll never forget the view of Ireland from the airplane window as we were descending across the countryside. Nothing but stone walls and bright green fields. I remember thinking, “Yep, it’s exactly how I pictured it in my mind”. Can’t say that about many places.

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  6. A good list. Mont-Saint-Michel looks amazing. Something we see in a fairy tale. I just have to smile and wonder about it, so it would be interesting to actually go there and walk around. PLAN YOUR TRIP, so I can see photos. Not sure I would actually go there. No reason really, except now I’m preferring easy going relaxing vacations, sit, enjoy the sun under an umbrella, read a book. Enjoy nature.

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    1. I get it with the easy-going relaxing vacations (hence Hawaii). But someday I want to see Paris again because the one time I was there my itinerary was cut short. Mont-Saint-Michel will be included in that trip, even though it means a long bus ride or drive and an overnight in a small town. I can still handle that 🙂

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  7. That is an ambitious list Dave. As a single traveler, back in the 70s and early 80s I would travel with tour groups which was a great way to see the world if you were traveling solo. I’ve never been to Hawaii or Ireland … I have heard Ireland is beautiful. I have been to Mackinac Island, but not to the Grand Hotel … I had no idea it was $500.00 a night. That is for the privilege of sitting and rocking on that big front porch and the view of course. I was on Mackinac Island in 1968. My parents rented a cottage in Alpena, Michigan and we went to Mackinac for a day trip … it was a long day trip, but fun and every bit as quaint as you describe, from the ferry ride to the horse-drawn carriage trips. One thing interesting about Mackinac Island is the annual Labor Day walk. People walk the span of the Big Mac Bridge … it is five miles and the walk is always led by the current governor. Mont-Saint-Michel looks amazing and I know you will enjoy the architecture of that 1,000-year-old structure. France was one of my bucket list items, having studied French for years, but now remembering very little of it. “Mon dieu” I remember!

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    1. Ah, but of course, Linda – you are an expert on “walks”! I figured you’d have a local’s perspective of Mackinac. Something draws me there… maybe something I don’t even know about the place. Can’t wait to go someday and find out what it is.

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      1. I think you’d enjoy it Dave. I hope to go back one day and would really like to attend that Labor Day walk. I like the idea of no cars on the island. There was a lot of hoopla a few years ago when then-VP Pence visited Mackinac with his motorcade … vehicles are just not done and not only the locals, but all Michiganders were pretty angry about it. The annual Lilac Festival is a big attraction and begins the second Friday of June thru the third Sunday of June, with the horse-drawn Lilac Parade. I just looked that up for the dates, but if you go to Mackinac Island beware that the Annual Policy Conference begins the day after Memorial Day and goes all week – all the policy makers/political figures/media gather for meetings and stay at “the Hotel” so the Island is pretty busy that week.

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  8. That is a great travel list! I have yet to win the Masters lottery. My dad has been to the practice rounds twice. He said he would prefer the practice rounds because you can take all the pictures you want. Northern Michigan is beautiful, it’s definitely worth spending a week around the beautiful lakes. I think a day on Mackinaw Island is plenty and the fudge is a must. Ireland is on our list and Mont-Saint-Michel would be awesome to see too.

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    1. The more golf I watch on TV the less appealing standing in the galleries sounds to me, Lyssy. But I simply can’t pass up the Masters (if, as you say, I win the lottery). Those who go are never disappointed. It’s the course itself – which people say is way more hilly than it looks on TV – more so than the golf. No doubt I’ll pay too much for a souvenir or two. At least the pimento-cheese sandwiches are still affordable!

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  9. We spent one delightful day on Mackinac Island years ago–stayed overnight on the mainland where accommodations were cheaper. Rode bicycles all over, explored the historical site of Ft. Mackinac, a cemetery, shops, trails through woods, etc. Mid-afternoon we enjoyed a cup of coffee and pastries in the Grand Hotel, even though we didn’t stay there. That’s one way to enjoy its atmosphere without the $500 price tag (if they still serve “tea” to non-guests)!

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    1. Sounds just about how I envision my own visit to Mackinac, Nancy. A “taste” of the Grand Hotel and all the island has to offer, without most of the expense. Works for me!

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  10. Each destination sounds like a great time. You had better get started! I like both Guinness and fudge, so Ireland or Mackinac for me. And I like SPAM too, so I should add Hawaii. 🙂

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    1. If you’re serious about your Guinness, J P, you must go to Dublin and take the brewery tour. Beats any domestic brewery I’ve toured (including Coors in Colorado), and the view of the city from the top-story tasting room is incomparable, esp. with a free pint in hand. Unfortunately, you also realize fresh-brewed Guinness is better than any version shipped across the pond.

      As for SPAM and Hawaii, who knew? Well, you did 😉

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